All the credit for these goes to my friend Ron. He’s famous throughout California’s central valley for his blue cheese burgers! I don’t have his recipe because even though I think I managed to pry it from him once, I never wrote it down. But I was craving a blue cheese burger today for lunch and since Ron and Ruby live in California and I’m still in Sicily, I had to come up with something myself!

Most of the blue cheese burgers I’ve eaten in my life are just a regular burger with the addition of some type of blue cheese dressing as a condiment. Whoever came up with that idea is a genius because blue cheese plus hamburger equals YUM!

Even better is that same burger with some bacon on it. I’ve eaten many bacon and blue cheese burgers in my life thanks to McMenamins East 19th Street Cafe in Eugene, Oregon. I don’t know what I miss more, that Captain Neon Burger or those pitchers of Terminator Stout. Ah, the good old days…

So, as I was saying, most blue cheese burgers come with the blue cheese on top. But then Ron came along with his blue cheese-stuffed burgers and my whole world was turned upside down. What’s so great about blue cheese being inside the burger? I really don’t know. Perhaps it’s just the novelty, but there’s something really special about a seemingly normal looking burger that starts oozing creamy blue cheese when you bite into it!

The only thing I remember about Ron’s burgers is that the filling is a mixture of blue cheese and cream cheese. So, that’s what I did. I kept it simple and just mixed equal parts cream cheese and crumbled blue cheese, added a bit of onion powder, some chopped fresh parsley and salt and pepper to taste. I didn’t bother to let the cream cheese soften, I just mashed it all up together in a small bowl with a fork.

I decided to stick with quarter pound burgers because the hamburger buns I bought are pretty small (just the standard small Wonder brand buns). So I first divided one pound of ground beef into four equal parts. Then I divided each part in half so that I ended up with eight equal portions of ground beef (each should weigh about 2 oz.). I formed those into balls and sprinkled them all with salt and pepper, rolling them around a bit so all sides were seasoned. Next, working on waxed paper, I flattened each of those little balls into very thin patties.

To fill a burger, I put a spoonful of the cream cheese filling (about a tablespoon works well) in the center of one patty.

Then I spread the filling equally over the patty, leaving some room around the edges for a seal.

Then I put another patty on top of the filling.

Next, I pressed the edges together to form a seal. You don’t need to pinch the two patties together, just gently work the edges together so that they will stay sealed.

After I finished all four burgers, I liberally sprinkled both sides of them with coarsely ground black pepper.

Then I put them on the grill! Grilling time is a matter of preference. I like my burgers well done but since I made the patties pretty thin, they ended up cooking quickly.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about shrinkage but I thought I would take this photo to remind you! When making your hamburger patties, always make them larger than you think they need to be!

See, it ended up fitting the bun perfectly! Since these burgers are so flavorful, I keep the condiments to a minimum. But if I would have had some lettuce, tomato and bacon in the house, they would have been on here too!

It might look plain…

but look what’s waiting inside!

Now here’s my warning. First of all, let them rest for a little while before you eat them. The cheese in the middle is hot and oozy and I don’t want to get blamed for someone burning themselves! I also think it’s best to cut these in half before eating them. I found out the hard way that the contents inside are under pressure! I took my first bite and the burger had a blowout in the back. I’m serious, it was like a mini explosion! There’s no way around it, these are messy burgers. But that’s what makes them fun, right?

1. In a small bowl, mash together cream cheese and blue cheese then stir in the onion powder and parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
2. Divide ground beef into 8 equal pieces. I first divide it into four pieces then divide each piece again. Form the pieces into balls then sprinkle the balls lightly with salt and pepper, rolling them around a bit to make sure all sides are covered. Flatten each ball to form thin patties of equal size. I find it easiest to form the patties on a sheet of waxed paper.
3. To fill burgers, place a tablespoonful of cream cheese mixture in the center of each of four patties. Spread the filling out evenly to within half an inch of the edge of each patty. Place the remaining patties on top to form four filled burgers. Gently press the edges of each burger together to form a seal.
4. Sprinkle burgers liberally with coarsely ground black pepper (optional).
5. Prepare your grill and cook burgers until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (USDA recommendation) or until desired degree of doneness. Let rest for ten minutes.
6. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes: I recommend cutting these burgers in half before eating to avoid ‘burger blowout.’ I don’t add anything besides salt and pepper to the meat because the filling is so flavorful, but you are more than welcome to add extra seasoning to the meat if that’s what you like. Feel free to experiment with different seasonings in the filling, too!

Nice pictures Nicole. I don’t have any choice other than veggie patty which I don’t like. Long back I made patty with potatoes and Indian spices at home, It was ok:).
Cheese mix looks great. I’m sure they taste yummy.

I saw you loading stuff onto Flickr this morning… I was waiting for the post. I love bleu cheese burgers, though I usually do them a bit differently, mostly out of laziness. I take the ground beef and make a cup out of it, put in crumbled bleu cheese, and form the patty around that. Your version gets it better to the outside. I also like to put spicy seasonings on the burger, like Creole seasoning, for black and bleu burgers. And my favorite toppings to go with this are caramelized onions, kosher pickles and Dijon mustard.

Love the tutorial aspect of the photos, wish I had not experimented with the bue cheese a minute ago, all went in the blue cheese/pear/spinach risotto. Damn, got to get some more, I MUST try this burger, though I hardly ever eat burgers, that is how good and enticing your blog looks today.

Holy good god. It is just about lunchtime where I am and I can now hear my tummy rumbling. I will now be obsessing about these burgers until I can have one in hand. This is going on my Must Make Very Soon list!!!! Thanks for the fantastic photos.

There is no substitute for a really great burger. Looking at these photos makes me glad I’m not a vegetarian!

5:14 am Nov 9th, 2007

Nicole

Anh: Thanks for stopping by!

Susan: Yes, napkins are a must (and maybe a bib)!!

Evie: You know, my husband hates blue cheese but he eats these burgers when my friend Ron makes them and even though he didn’t want one of mine (I only stuffed two of the burgers with blue cheese), I did make him taste it. Guess what? He said it was really good! The cream cheese really mellows out the blue cheese flavor so if you didn’t tell him what was in it, I’m sure he’d love it!

Cynthia: Thanks, it was quite a lunch for a weekday!

Kevin: Hope you get a chance to try them soon!

Lydia: After I went through my year-long vegetarian stage when I was a teenager, ground beef was the hardest thing for me to start eating again…especially fast food burgers. Not sure why. Now I probably eat way too much ground beef!

That sounds great because I adore blue cheese. But this is a real winner, too. Popcorn with blue cheese on it, is to die for. I sometimes put crumbles of it, in a paper bag and shake it up with the popcorn. Or melt it with butter and spoon it over the popcorn. I was famous for bringing it to parties up in South Bend, Indiana before we moved to New Braunfels, Texas.

11:38 pm Nov 12th, 2007

Zoe

I just stumbled here and we love bleu cheese burgers, too. I will try this- but using turkey- and turkey bacon, to suit the home. Just saying hello because I was so surprised to see you blog about Eugene- where I live! Ciao Nicole

2:51 am Nov 13th, 2007

Nicole

Barbara: I’ve never thought to put blue cheese on popcorn! That sounds soooooo good…especially melted with the butter. I wish I could have some right now!

I just stumbled upon your blog and i must say the pictures are really nice and clean. I use videos for recipes on my site but i think the photos also speak a 1000 words! Really clean and fantastic, well done!

I was recently developing “the perfect burger” for my website http://www.ifoods.tv and we put a lot of effort into all sorts of different options. Blue cheese was discussed a couple of times but although I love this sort of recipe I dont think it would have the universal appeal to carry off “the perfect burger”. I just want to know who first had the idea of putting blue cheese into a burger!

12:32 am Apr 18th, 2008

Brian

I’ve been working blue cheese into burgers for years and have discovered that mashing the cheese with a bit of evoo distributes the flavor throughout the burger very nicely. I’ll have to try Nicole’s idea as it does look tantilizing indeed.

7:28 pm Apr 23rd, 2008

Courtney

Just wondering if they can be made ahead and frozen.. I have wayyyy too much beef and blue cheese right now but dont want to eat a million burgers!
Cheers

7:07 pm Apr 26th, 2008

darlene lyons

These cheeseburgers rock, we added jalapena pepper slices and sliced mushrooms in the middle with the cheese mixture they were the best we have ever had.

mmmMMMmm blue/bleu cheese burgers!!
I started with feta cheese burgers and Moved up to the blue cheese a couple of years ago after trying Trader joes stuffed burgers.

For a twist, try stuffing ground turkey or salmon instead, and add some fresh garlic.

7:49 am Sep 9th, 2008

lindakm

Mmmmm! Great pictures! I’m searching the internet for blue cheese burgers recipes. Yours look delicious but I think it’s too much work for me. I’m looking for the one where you can just mix the cheese all in with the meat. ;>

10:21 am Oct 8th, 2008

John

Sound great! I once had a blue cheese burger. Even though delicious, it was
nothing like this recipe. I’m pretty sure of that. I want to try this recipe!

So, yes, this is an old post but I was in St. Helena last week and enjoyed one of Taylor’s Refresher’s amazing burgers. Which of course leaves me craving one today and searching for a recipe online. And here, voila. This sounds delicious. The only thing I might add is a beautiful, delicious, onion ring, like the one at Taylor’s. Yum.

I just made this tonight to go along with the Superbowl, since burgers are a very footballish food. They were great, but I would suggest that anyone trying these burgers to NOT use a Foreman grill. Or at least, don’t close the top. It will cook faster, but the pressure on the top of the burgers will cause much of the cheese to ooze out.

Looks great. I love making blue cheese burgers but used to put the cheese on the outside. I like the idea of putting it inside. Must be a juicy burger.

7:06 am Feb 26th, 2009

Dena

Oh my gosh, these look SOOO great! And, Nicole- I LOVE those spicy black bean burgers, just had one for lunch. By far the best veggie-type of “burgers” around! Mmmmm…that cheese…tasty. Thanks for the recipe.

Great recipe! However I will slightly adjust to more blue cheese in the future, as I do prefer the flavor of it more. Instead I will most likely put 2 1/2 ounce to 3 of blue cheese and rest cream. Thanks again, really enjoyed the burgers.

We Love Kutcharitaville Cafe for Their Greatest Cheese Burgers! You’ve Got to Try
One to Believe How Good They Are. Their so Good that they are called Goody Goody’s. We heard that Jimmy Buffet Loved them so much that he wrote a song about
them. We also heard that someone wrote a song about Kutchie’s Key Lime Pie.
All I know is that the next time we travel to Carolina, Key West will be Our First Stop……

the Copeland Family

7:24 pm Jan 3rd, 2010

Ruthie Martinez

Thank you so much for the perfect Blue Cheese Burger Receipe! My boyfriend and I were use to driving nearly 2 hrs. for a great Blue Cheese Burger and now it’s only a kitchen away =) The pictures and easy- to- folllow steps won us over, but the taste captured our hearts. Thanks again!!!

Grilled these up tonight, and they’re better than any restaurant blue cheese burger I’ve ever tasted. The cheese on the inside is genius, and my wife loved it. Especially since I put bacon on them. Thanks for sharing!

These are famous in the Twin Cities-better known as Juicy Lucy’s-when they have cheddar-Juicy Bleucy’s with blue cheese….Matt’s Bar is the famous place here…when a friend had a “owie” on her lip, and I asked her about it she just said…”yeah, from Matt’s Bar…”…we all understood. Ate it too soon…

10:06 pm Jun 5th, 2010

Isabella

I chose your burgers from a google search of blue cheese burgers. I always thought stuffing burgers was kind of stupid, but your description and picture totally sold me. And I made mine exactly the way you made yours, and I loved it. Thanks!

I made these on the stove top and they came out perfectly. No grill required in my opinion. Thanks for the recipe!

10:44 am Mar 15th, 2011

Jasmine

These look amazing! My “year long vegetarian phase” is coming to a close and I think these might be my first meaty meal! Anyone (Nicole and readers) have any thoughts about adding a touch of horseradish to the cheese mixture? I like a little kick.

[…] eating than the Super Bowl around here! I already had a plan in mind but Dave sent me this link for Blue Cheese Burgers on “Pinch My Salt”. Our blue cheese was very dense, so all I needed to do was cut a square-ish piece off and put in […]

11:51 am Feb 19th, 2012

Doctor Who Matt Smith

Thank you, I’ve recently been searching for information about this topic for a while and yours is the best I have came upon so far. However, what in regards to the bottom line? Are you positive in regards to the supply?

1:42 am Apr 24th, 2012

Branch

Nicole –

Fast-forward five years — June 2012! This recipe still holds up as the best of its type. Simple, easy, and “mas tasty”! And it does go better with bacon, tomato, and lettuce. To compound the flavor, a little home made mayo.

3:33 pm Jun 23rd, 2012

Cory

This is a good looking recipe all but the cooking temperature recommendation. The patty shrank up so much from overcooking the meat. Source good ground beef and medium to medium rare is perfectly safe and about 100 times more flavorful. Great looking burger otherwise though.

8:56 pm Aug 4th, 2012

Jeanna

I made these burgers and they were fantastic! We made carmelized onions to go with the burgers and they were the only condiments needed. The cream cheese mixed with the blue cheese gave the blue cheese a much milder flavor that was just right. We went very light on the salt on the burgers since the cheese is salty.

5:28 pm Aug 27th, 2012

Mary Jane

Your dish reminds me of summer more exciting scenes. I was very happy to have full friends. Thank you. If you want to know about my country and the dishes, go to: vegetarianviet.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-make-pho.html if you want how to make Rice noodles, The best foods of country

[…] on top to create a pocket of bleu cheese in the center. That was how it was done on the recipe for bleu cheese burgers on Pinch My Salt that I was using as a guide, but I obviously ignored some of the finer points (including the cream […]

These are amazing!!! I cooked these in cast iron pan since it’s -30C and I couldn’t light the bbq. Thank you for a keeper recipe.

5:53 pm Jan 4th, 2015

Hannah

Made these tonight and they were a big hit!

I would EMPHASIS the importance of the seal to anyone who hasn’t tried them yet. I made them on the Foreman (I know, I know, we’re so classy!) and my lame attempt at a seal was squashed (literally) and the good stuff oooozed out. Everyone I made them for thought I did it on purpose so no harm and they were simply amazing either way!